Congressional Democrats condemn Rep. Ilhan Omar over ‘anti-Semitic’ tweets about AIPAC and Israel

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota on Monday has been widely criticized for tweets about Israel and the pro-Israel lobbying group, AIPAC.
Omar was accused of trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes, including by top Democrats in Congress.
Omar, who’s among the first Muslim women members of Congress in US history, has maintained that she’s not anti-Semitic amid ongoing criticism of her stance toward Israel.

A number of congressional Democrats on Monday joined a growing chorus of criticism against freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota over tweets related to Israel, which have led to widespread allegations of anti-Semitism.

Omar ignited a social media firestorm on Sunday after she suggested that support for Israel among Republican members of Congress is motivated by money.

"It’s all about the Benjamins baby," Omar tweeted in response to a tweet from journalist Glenn Greenwald on GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatening to take "action" against the freshman congresswoman over her criticism of Israel.

Subsequently, when asked to clarify what she meant, Omar in a separate tweet seemed to suggest a pro-Israel lobbying group – the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) – is paying US politicians to support Israel.

Omar was swiftly condemned on social media, and the backlash was hardly limited to Republicans. A number of her fellow Democrats expressed concern over Omar’s tweets, which many felt played into anti-Semitic tropes about Jews and money.

Jewish Democrats in Congress are lining up against Omar

Democratic Rep. Max Rose of New York, also a freshman in Congress, tweeted, "Congresswoman Omar’s statements are deeply hurtful to Jews, including myself."

Meanwhile, Democratic Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Elaine Luria of Virginia, who are also Jewish, have sent a letter to Democratic leaders urging them to take "swift action" against Omar and freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan over their recent remarks on Israel.

Omar and Tlaib are the first two Muslim women congresswoman in US history.

"We cannot remain silent in the face of hateful speech or actions. We know what happens in our communities when leaders ignore or embrace unacceptable rhetoric," the letter states. "That is why we have an obligation to speak out against anti-Semitism and to vigorously confront, challenge, and defeat those who traffic in these harmful tropes and smears."

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, who’s also Jewish, in a statement said Omar’s "choice of words" were "deeply disappointing and disturbing."

Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, went on to say, "In this fragile moment in our nation’s history, we must all redouble our efforts to engage in policy debates in ways that respect the dignity and humanity of all people."

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot L. Engel, a Democrat from New York who’s also Jewish, in a statement on Monday called Omar’s tweets "unacceptable."

"It’s shocking to hear a Member of Congress invoke the anti-Semitic trope of ‘Jewish money,’" Engel added. "Criticism of American policy toward any country is fair game, but this must be done on policy grounds."

Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida, who’s also Jewish, in a statement also said he found Omar’s remarks "unacceptable" and "deeply worrisome to the Jewish community."

Democratic leaders call Omar’s remarks ‘deeply offensive’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was joined by other Democratic leaders on Monday in condemning Omar’s remarks.

In a sternly worded statement, they called on Omar to apologize.

“Anti-Semitism must be called out, confronted and condemned whenever it is encountered, without exception," the statement said.

"Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive," the statement added. "We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments."

Omar has expressed concern over the treatment of Palestinians by Israel

Omar is a proponent of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) – a nonviolent, global campaign that seeks to isolate Israel economically and politically regarding its treatment of Palestinians and the occupation of the West Bank.

The Minnesota congresswoman has been unabashedly critical of the Israeli government, and in a recent CNN interview said it’s "exciting" to see a broader debate happening on the US government’s relationship with Israel.

"It’s not surprising. I think it is actually exciting because we are finally able to have conversations that we weren’t really willing to," Omar said. "It is really important for us to get a different lens about what peace in that region could look like and the kind of difficult conversations we need to have about allies."

"Israel is an ally of the United States and I think as much as you would look to your neighbor, to your friends, to live out the same values as you are, we want to make sure that our allies are living out the same values that we push for here," she added.

Omar is hardly the first person in Washington to express concern about organizations like AIPAC or criticize the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestine. She’s also not the first politician to be accused of anti-Semitism for doing so, as it’s long been taboo for generally any US politician to go after Israel.

But there seems to be rising concern, including from Democrats, that Omar is not approaching what is among the most incendiary political topics with enough care and nuance.

Omar sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and has been accused of trafficking in anti-Semitism several times in recent weeks, including over statements she made on Israel years ago. A refugee originally from Somalia, Omar has responded to some of the criticism launched at her with allegations of Islamophobia.

Some Dems say it’s ‘perfectly legitimate to criticize Israel’ but are warning Omar to ‘be careful’

Speaking on the controversy over Omar’s tweets, Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut on Monday told CNN, "It’s perfectly legitimate to criticize Israel or the pro-Israeli lobby. Just please be careful to do it in a way that can’t be interpreted as being anti-Semitic."

Himes added, "I think this is really a good example of the need for all of us to be very, very specific about what it is we are saying so that we don’t come off as being anti-Semitic, racist, bigoted."

Amid the ongoing criticism, Omar has maintained that she supports the Jewish community and her comments are directed at the Israeli government in the context of its policy toward Palestine. She’s also expressed regret over how she’s framed her criticism of Israel in the past.

Meanwhile, Omar’s spokesman on Sunday told Politico that her "tweets speak for themselves."

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Source: Business Insider